Goeller Verlag

The founding partners of the international marketing and distribution group Cofermin/DE for speciality raw materials have made way for a new generation of senior management to take the group forward for at least another two decades or more of success. From the 1 January 2021 all four founding partners of Cofermin (Ralf Ossen, Dr Pawel Golak, Bernhard Krüger and Tim Geldmacher) moved onto the Group’s newly established Supervisory Board. Their managerial responsibilities and duties have been transferred to their successors, the new management team comprising: Bettina Bohnen (Commercial & Risk Management, HR and Organisation), Michael Neeb (Operations, Sales and IT), Andreas Pabst (Strategy, Business Development and Marketing), as Managing Directors, and Jens Massenberg, as the Group’s Chief Financial Officer (Finance, Controlling and Compliance).

The German Refractories Association (DFFI) is moving forward with a strengthened strategy. With a clear “yes” to climate protection and CO2-reduction in production as well as in dialogue with customers at the industry event  “Steel meets Refractory”, at which, under the auspices of the Ministry for Economic Affairs in the German state of the Rhineland-Palatinate, 70 representatives from companies in both industries met virtually to share knowledge with regard to future sources of energy.

pektogram – this is the name of the corporate venture of the Lübeck-based trading company Possehl Erzkontor/DE. The latest spin-off from Erzkontor is based in Bielefeld/DE, center of the fast-growing tech and startup ecosystem OWL (Ostwestfalen-Lippe/DE). The goal of the think tank is to provide fresh impetus, design business models and develop industry solutions for Possehl Erzkontor, a medium-sized end-to-end raw materials provider.

RHI Magnesita/AT, the leading global supplier of high-grade refractory products, systems and solutions, has been awarded AA for its sustainability achievements and initiatives in MSCI’s ESG ratings. MSCI ESG Research is a leading provider of research and analysis for the global investment community. The agency’s rating assessed RHI Magnesita’s approach to Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) risks based on a diverse set of categories from e.g. climate change, pollution and waste to human capital and social opportunities.

ceramitec, originally scheduled for May 2021, has been postponed to June 2022 on account of the reduced possibilities for worldwide travel. On a smaller scale, the ceramitec conference + exhibition will take place. Initially the ceramitec conference + exhibition was announced for 22–23 June 2021. But end of April, the Organizing Committee decided to approach all active participants to shift the date to 15–16 September 2021 to get more visitors to come to Munich. Working together with Fraunhofer HTL/DE, IAPK/DE and the Expert Group CIM/DE as partners, CERAMIC APPLICATIONS will organise a two-track conference in FORUM 1 and FORUM 2, which will be complemented by AM Ceramics organised by Lithoz/AT in FORUM 3.

The glasstec trade fair will not be held as planned due to the sustained pandemic and continued global lockdown measures as well as international travel restrictions. In close coordination with associations and partners Messe Düsseldorf/DE has decided to cancel glasstec scheduled for 15–18 June 2021, which had already been postponed from 2020 to 2021. The next glasstec will be held in line with its accustomed scheduling for 20–23 September 2022.

RHI Magnesita, the leading global refractory supplier and Callista Private Equity GmbH successfully completed the sale of the following two legal entities: Norwegian RHI Normag AS, located in Porsgrunn, and Irish Premier Periclase, located in Drogheda, both of which predominantly produce magnesia based products for the fertilizer, animal feed, hydrometallurgical, pulp and paper, environmental and refractory industries.

Join the 56th Annual Symposium on Refractories, hosted and organized by ACerS St. Louis Section and the Refractory Ceramics Division, taking place 24–25 March 2021 from your home or workplace. This will be a virtual meeting with live sessions and presentations running over the course of the two-day conference. This year’s theme is Properties and Performance of Refractory Ceramics – A Tribute to Richard C. Bradt   foney@ceramics.org

The ceramics industry and above all the sectors with short innovation cycles, need personal contact, exchange and presentation opportunities. After the need to postpone ceramitec to 2022, the possibility was given for the industry to meet again in 2021. Messe München/DE and the partners of CERAMIC APPLICATIONS use together this possibility and offer the optimal platform for meeting and exchange organising the ceramitec conference. The in-person event is planned for 22–23 June 2021 in Munich and takes place simultaneously with “automatica sprint“.

VELCO GmbH is a medium-sized enterprise settled in Velbert/DE located in the tricity area Dusseldorf-Essen-Wuppertal. Its core competences are the machinery manufacturing for processing of gunning material, the wear-resistance conveyance of abrasive bulk materials and their injection into all kinds of processes.